It will be Hogwarts all over again, but this time he’s older and there won’t be the distraction of other boisterous boys to hide him, there won’t be dusty library books and high grades to keep him from the spotlight.

His eyes close with the pressure of all these realisations, and he bows his head, hands creeping to his face in an attempt to shield himself. The feeling of his cool fingertips against his eyelids sooth him, and the memories begin to haunt.

Perhaps she notices that when she mentions her dead cousin’s name, something stirs in him, something rears it’s ugly head and makes him want to scream. Maybe she knows he’s still in love with Sirius Black.